4.5 stars

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, and they were mostly unexpected.

The novel operates in three perspectives: Fran's, Jenna's, and Kate's. There are two primary time periods happening as well. At first, I worried this could be tough to balance, but I found that this really enhanced the pacing and complexity of the characters and central mystery. Points for style and format!

Fran is such an intriguing character. From the first scene, readers know that she's capable of more than she thinks she is. I love that she is painted in a relatively untraditional way and given so much room to both grow and shine.

There's a lot to enjoy here: mystery, thriller, women's fiction elements, and a really functional style. I recommend this to fans of any or all!

#HerLastHoliday #NetGalley
Clever writing.
Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of 2 people. But he has never let on what happened to the third suspected victim: Jenna.Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive?
I loved it from middle to end but the beginning was slow. It's a result of clever writing. How a Guru turned out to be a liar. I liked the plot.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

Amazing book about a vacation gone wrong. This book is kind of a combination of a psychological thriller and a mystery. I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it

It’s a good year when there are C L Taylor books to be published and so 2021 is shaping up pretty well!

This is such a powerful book with a cast of amazing and very deep characters – some which irritated me constantly and others which I really felt for throughout.

Secrets, lies and so much more weave some very unsettling undertones throughout this book and I don’t think anyone reading it will quite work it all out until the last pages. I love that about C L Taylor’s books – the suspense and build up is just brilliant and with great characterisation along the way her books are the complete perfect package.

Fran’s sister Jenna vanished while on a wellness retreat in Malta two years ago. The retreat, meant to be a place of healing, turned into a nightmare for those involved, not just for Tom Wade, the man responsible for Soul Shrink Retreats. After being released from prison (he was convicted because of what happened in Gozo), he has never said what happened to Jenna. Buoyed by her mother’s insistence, Fran books into Tom’s upcoming retreat, keen to discover what really happened to her sister. Which is good in theory, and she has her mother’s warnings ringing in her ears, but when Fran is face to face with Tom, and the other retreat attendees, what will happen? I loved that it was flashbacked to Malta, then England and there is enough misdirection to make you question who to trust. I loved it, I really enjoyed the build up and the discovery of what really happened.

Her sister Jenna disappeared from a wellness retreat on the Island of Gozo. Two years later, Fran books herself onto a wellness retreat run by the same people to try and find out what became of Jenna. Can Fran find out the truth of what happened to her sister or will her questions about Jenna’s disappearance put her in danger?

A tense intriguing thriller with good twists which made for a suspenseful read.

CL Taylor has done it again! An ansolutely spellbinding read. SLEEP and STRANGERS were so mesmerising and expertly plotted I couldn't imagine her next book could be any better, but Cally has outdone herself yet again! I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this fabulous book. Highly recommended.